Railway-car.



No. 720.291. l f PA'LBNTED PEB. 1o, 190s.

G. E. SMITH.

RAILWAY CAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOY..25 1901.

V No MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. SMITH, OF IASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forn'ling part of Letters Patent No. 720,291, dated February lO, 1903. Application filed November 25, 1901. l Serial No.83,651. (No model.)

" herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in Which- Figure 1 is an end View of a car-truck and the upper part of the track, the elevated structure being omitted. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

In the drawings all of the elevated structure below the cross-ties A has been omitted as not necessary to the illustration of my invention. On the cross-ties are fastened the 'usual track-rails B, which support the wheels C, that carry the weight of the other parts of the car. The wheels C each have stubaxles and are separately mounted in the truckframe D and are provided with roller-bearings. They1 may be arranged in pairs, if desired. I prefer double pairs or four wheels to each truck, as shown. Alxed to the crossties, intermediate the supporting-rails, is a central friction-rail-supporting timber E, to which is aiixed the friction-rail F, which in cross-section is in shape the frustum of a wedge with the base up. This friction-rail provides a bearing-surface with which the traction-wheels G contact. These traction- Wheels are in shape the frustum ofa cone, with the pitch to fit the pitch of the frictionrail, preferably in pairs, one each side of the friction-rail, and are rigidly mounted on one end of the shaft I'I, the other end of which carries driven bevel gear-wheel I. Shaft I-I is rotative in box J, but has no longitudinal movement therein, such movement being prevented by any well-known devices. BOX J is provided with trunnions J', which are pivotally mounted in bearings K, affixed to the truck-frame, thereby permitting a swinging motion of the traction-Wheel from and toward the friction-rail. The truck-frame is connected with the car-frame L by a king-bolt iu the usual manner. Mounted on the truckframe is electric motor DI, the armature of which has projecting on each side thereof axles N, which are provided with sliding square-toothed clutches O, which engage with their counterpart in the hub of the driving bevel gear-Wheel P, loosely mounted on the motor-shaft to impart motion thereto when desired. 'Ihese sliding clutches are moved by levers R, which are operated by any suitable means. (Not shown.) On the ends of the motonshaft are brake-wheels S, which are provided with band-brakes T to brake the car when desired. The traction-wheels on either side of the friction-rail can be operated independently of those on the other side, as by means of clutch O either driving bevel gearwheel on the motor-shaft may be thrown out of engagement therewith, when it runs merely as an idler. This feature renders the turning of very sharp curves feasible, as the supportingwheels run independentlyof each other. On the top of the friction-rail is affixed a safety guard-lian ge U, which projects over the traction-wheels as an extra precaution to prevent the ear from jumping the track. Aiiixed to the boxes J are bell-crank or other levers V, by means of which the traction-wheels may be caused to bear against the friction-rail with greater or less force, or they may be thrown entirely out of contact therewith. These levers work singly or together, so that one or both tractionwheels may be operated, as desired.

In the drawings I have illustrated my car as being propelled by an electric motor; but any other means may be used to propel the same, the power being applied to rotate the shaft which carries the driving bevel-gear P.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railway-car, means to propel said car comprising a central friction-rail; in shape the frustum of a wedge with the base projecting upward a traction-wheel adapted to Contact with said friction-rail, mounted on a shaft; said traction-wheel being in shape the frustum of a cone a shaft rotatively mounted in a box, without longitudinal movement in said box; a box having trunnions pivotally mounted in bearings afixed to the truckframe; a bevel-gear mounted on the end ot' the shaft opposite the traction-wheel and means to drive said bevel-gear.

2. In a railway-car, a truck-frame; independently-mounted supporting-Wheels, rotatively mounted in said frame; a driven axle rotatively mounted in said truck frame; means to operate said driven axle; a bevelgear loosely mounted on said axle, having a clutch mechanism in the hub thereof; a sliding clutch non-rotative on said driven axle, adapted to engage the clutch of the bevelgear and lock the same to the axle and cause it to become a driving-gear; means to operate said sliding clutch; a driven bevel-gear rotatively mounted ou an axle, adapted to mesh with the driving bevel-gear; a traction- Wheel on the end of said axle opposite the driven bevel-gear; a central friction-rail; a box in which said last axle is rotatively mounted Without longitudinal movement therein, having trunnions relatively mountedin bearings, affixed to the truck-frame, and means to cause the traction-wheel to contact with the friction-rail.

3. In a railway-car, a truck-frame; indecase in the Patent Oftlce.

[SEAL] should be inserted after the word cone read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the pendently-moving Wheels, separately mounted in and supporting said frame; an electric motor mounted on said frame the armature of which carries oppositely-projecting axles; brake-band wheels, rigidly mounted on the ends of said motor-axles; bevel gear-Wheels loosely mounted on said motor-axles; and non-rotative sliding clutches also mounted on said axles adapted to engage and lock said gear-Wheels to said axle; two boxes having trunnions pivotally mounted in bearings affixed to the truck-frame, one on each side of the motor; axles rotatively mounted in said boxes, Without longitudinal movement therein; bevel-gear rigidly affixed, one to each end of said last axles adapted to mesh with the gear on the motor-axles; traction-Wheels rigidly mounted on the other ends of said axles, and adapted to engage with a friction-rail; a friction-rail, and means to cause said traetion-wheels to engage said friction-rail.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 19th day of November, 1901.

GEO. E. SMITH.

Witnesses:

G. E. HARPHAM, JN'IA'r'rIE MCGINNIS.

Signed and sealed this th day of March, A. D., 1903.

F. I. ALLEN,

Commissioner of Patents.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 720,291, granted February 10, 1903. upon the application of George E. Smith, of Pasadena, California, for an improvement7 in Railway-Cars, errors appear in the printed specication requiring correction; af: follows: Page 1, line 98, the semicolon after the Word friction-rail should be strickeisi out and inserted after the word upward in line 100, in line 102 a comma should l 'f substituted for the semicolon after the Word shaft, and in line 103 a semicoln and that the said Letters Patent shouldbe It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 720,291, granted February 10, 1903. upon the application of George E. Smith, of Pasadena, California, for an improvement in Railway-Cars, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction; at' follows: Page l, line 98, the semicolon after the vrord friction-rail should be striekeisiJ out and inserted after the Word upward in line 100, in line 102 a eornma should l if :enbstituted for the semicolon after the word shaft, and in line 103 a semieofn should be inserted after the Word cone and that the said Letters Patent should read with these Corrections therein that the same may conform to elle record of the ease in the Patent Ofce.

Signed and sealed this 10th day of March, A. D., 1903.

[SEAL] F. I. ALLEN,

Commissioner of Patents. 

